For every custom-designed engineering services project, TMetrix takes the following steps to ensure mutual understanding of the objectives and the best means of achieving them:
1. Needs Assessment Engineering
Before we start any service project, we first issue a Letter of Understanding, outlining the project’s goals. This ensures we have a full comprehension of your requirements and have set measurable performance goals. This results in a Statement of Work document signed by both parties.
2. Solution Design
Based on your project’s goals, we explore potential solutions and propose the one that best meets your needs. This may include mechanical, electrical and software engineering. Once we ensure the specific technical details are addressed, we then outline the process required for implementation.
3. Configuration
We select the optimum components needed to accomplish your design goals. This involves the following:
- Ensuring hardware and communication protocol compatibility
- Meeting form factors
- Electrical considerations
- Supply chain accommodations
4. Assembly and Development
This step can include hardware modifications, producing specialized connections and fittings and developing drivers, firmware, software or protocol translations. The solution configuration isn’t finalized until we have all these pieces working in a replicable prototype.
5. Test and Validation
At this stage of the project we take our finished prototype and conduct a series of tests to ensure that the solution meets the design goals and usability requirements and that it withstands typical environmental challenges. We then produce “burn in” reporting results and make recommendations on any changes that may be required.
6. Documentation
Great solutions need to be replicated on demand, hence the importance of documentation. Following ISO 9000 standards, we ensure a traceability path in both material and process documentation. Where certification is required, we’ll deal with the appropriate submissions.
7. Quality Control
This step includes establishing a sampling plan, quality verification processes, reporting and remedial processes.
8. Intellectual Property Rights Assessment
Many system integrators retain the solution they developed for you as their intellectual property. But we offer flexible ownership options. Intellectual property rights may be retained by either party—separately, jointly or via licensing. Depending on your requirements and capabilities, some of these choices can facilitate the patent process or eliminate licensing issues.
9. Implementation Support
TMetrix will help you with the process and the means to introduce this newly designed solution to your business. We will also work through technical challenges as they arise.
10. Post-Application Support
Unforeseen business challenges, operational requirements and technical issues will inevitably arise. TMetrix provides continual engineering support to deal with these issues as well as regular maintenance and service plans.